"Darling, please get whatever bike you'd like"

With those words from my wife, and a milestone wedding anniversary around the corner, itís time to scratch that N+1 itch.

The brief: something to fill the XC-trail gap in my current line-up, suitable for the sandstone, ledgy trails I usually ride. With a 10kg Cannondale hardtail at one end of my garage, and a 160mm Intense Tracer at the other end, Iím looking for something that climbs as well as it descends, and that I can ride all day including in the occasional 100km event. A 120mm 29er seems like the bike for the job.

The contenders: There are loads of bikes in that category, obviously, and while Iím certainly only of average ability, Iím fussy as hell about my bikes. Iím just not going to buy a bike I havenít been able to demo on a trail (not in the parking lot outside the bike store). That narrows things down considerably, and so far the list has been (in the order Iíve ridden them):
ē Intense Sniper (I rode the 100mm XC version, but would buy the 120mm Trail version if getting that bike)
ē Intense Primer
ē Spec Stumpjumper ST
ē Giant Trance 29er
ē Spec Epic Evo
ē Scott Spark

Bikes Iíd like to ride, but canít get a demo on:
ē Santa Cruz Tallboy
ē Pivot 429 Trail
ē Yeti SB130
All of these last 3 are amazing no doubt, at least according to the wisdom of the internet, but if I canít ride them, theyíre not in contention.

Thoughts so far on what Iíve ridden:Sniper Ride impressions: Light and really fast, and very confidence inspiring. Fun. I rode this on a rough XC loop that Iíd just ridden on my Tracer, and it felt like I was going twice as fast. Actually, I wasnít, and had actually been a few seconds quicker on the Tracer. Still, by the time I was on the Sniper, I had 2 fast laps in my legs already, so the fact that I was still close to the first lapís time is pretty encouraging. For what it is, the bike is well priced. Question marks in my mind: with Intenseís new rider-direct model, what does this mean for customer service and my relationship with my LBS? Do I really care that I donít love the colourways available? Conclusion: this one goes through to the next round.

Primer Ride impressions: Unfortunately, they only had this in an XL frame size (Iíd ride an L), and not in customer spec, and with flat pedals when I was wearing SPD shoes. So I didnít really have a proper ride on it. Still, it felt like much more bike than Iím actually looking for, and heavy on a XC trail as a result. Conclusion: Have tried to line up a better demo on a correctly-sized bike, but unless I do, this oneís off the table.

Stumpjumper STRide impressions: I so wanted to like this bike. The geometry seems spot on. I like Specís approach with the 2018/2019 stumpys of moving away from proprietary anything. A friend has a 2016 stumpy and loves it. I love the idea of the SWAT compartment, meaning Iíd be able to ditch the hydro pack for shorter rides. I wanted to like it so much, I took it on 3 separate rides just to make sure. Unfortunately, I absolutely hated this bike. It felt slow, cumbersome and like a boat anchor. True, the demo bike was a low end alloy model that weighed close to 16kg, and Iíd be getting a higher end carbon one that weighs closer to 13kg, but I just hated the way this thing went uphill (or even pedalled on a flat fire road). Hell, the Tracer Ė a 160mm enduro bike Ė climbs about a million times better than this. That said, the Stumpy ST is a great descender. But thatís not what Iím looking for. Conclusion: Nope. Just no.

Trance 29erRide impressions: Iím not a brand-snob, but I hadnít been planning to ride this bike. My first dually was a Trance, and it was a great bike for me at the time, but this wasnít on my radar. The shop that demoed the stumpy insisted I take it out, so I did. I was really pleasantly surprised (especially in comparison to the stumpy!). A really fun bike to throw around on the singletrack. Not the greatest climber, but definitely not the worst. Has more of a ďtrailyĒ feel than I think Iím looking for, but Iíd recommend this bike.Conclusion: not the droid Iím looking for, but a pretty cool bike anyway. Brand-snobs need not apply.

Epic EvoRide impressions: This thing is fast! Really fast. It feels really light too (it is, at around 11kg). I rode it with the brain set in its softest setting, so didnít get much of the ďclunkĒ that people complain about with the brain set up. Even in the softest setting, and even with its ďbigĒ fork (in comparison with the standard Evo), this really feels like a race bike. In fact it reminded me quite a bit of my hardtail, just more forgiving (with a 71deg HTA and 90mm of travel, the Cannondale always feels like itís trying to kill me when the trails get rough). The Epic Evo has a 68.5deg HTA, and to me that still felt a little too steep. Definitely felt like I had to be 100% on my game, or things could get out of shape pretty quickly (and you travel fast on this thing, so things do happen quickly). And that was with the shock in its softest setting. I think at 1 degree slacker, it would be pretty much perfect for its brief.Conclusion: Really tempted by this bike. It just feels so damn quick and light everywhere. But I think itís better suited to shorter events than longer: tired at the end of a 100km race, or in the dark, I think I could crash this pretty effectively. I think Iím after something just a little more forgiving.

Scott SparkRide impressions: Iíd never ridden a Scott before, and so had never tried the TwinLoc system (a remote lockout for fork and shock that let you switch between 120mm, 85mm and full rigid with a single push of a handlebar lever). Aside from it making for a messy cockpit (and pushing the dropper post lever up into a weird above handlebar position), itís a great system. Unlike the damping platforms on pretty much every other bike Iíve ridden, TwinLoc actually makes a huge difference to how the bike rides. I didnít ride the fully rigid mode on the trails, but the difference between 120mm and 85mm was massive. At 120mm, it feels like a trail bike, sitting well into the suspension and with as much control as 120mm can give you. At 85mm, it feels like a XC bike: it sits much higher in its travel, and that travel is very firm, albeit supple enough to handle techy climbs. I liked this a lot. I rode it back to back with the Epic Evo, and the Spark felt nowhere near as fast, but was way less of a handful. Against the clock, my times were similar on the two bikes: not surprisingly, I was quicker on the downs on the Scott and quicker on the climbs on the Epic Evo. Conclusion: A great bike, with a really broad range of abilities. Can be pretty racy when you want it to be, can be pretty traily when you want it to be.

Current thinking
At the moment, itís either the Sniper Trail or the Spark. Still keen to get a ride on the Pivot, Yeti or Santa Cruz, but Iíd be very happy with either of the Sniper or Spark.

Its good to hear the feedback about the Scott Spark 940, Im looking for 120mm ish travel 29er and the Spark seems to tick all my box's. I just need to wait till the end of the month to get a test run on it.

I've been riding a Specialized Epic for 8 years. I've blown the brain shock on it three times, and know from personal experience that the bike is unimpressive when that shock isn't working. I also found out after the last round that I can no longer get the brain shock serviced. So I found a company that offers a conversion to a non-brain shock, and have hereby sworn off bikes with proprietary suspension components. The Epic was a great bike in many ways, but there was a relatively high cost of ownership that I would not take on again. While I have no experience with it, I would worry that the Scott Spark might be in the same category.

Based on the bikes that you like (Sniper Trail, Spark and Epic, didn't like the Stumpjumper and Primer), I'd probably switch out the Yeti SB130 for the SB100 - seems more in the same category of bikes. I'd really try to check out the Santa Cruz Tallboy. I have a Hightower and am really impressed with the pedaling efficiency of the VPP suspension. I think the Tallboy could be a lot of fun. That said and done, have you looked at the Ibis Ripley LS? I've seen/heard some really good things about it - if you have access to demo it, I'd add that to the list. Bikes tend to be a long term investment for me, so I am a big fan of companies with reputations for excellent customer service. Santa Cruz and Ibis have great reputations for standing behind their products.

Last time I was officially sanctioned to buy a new full suspension bike, I gleefully showed my wife pictures of all the contenders. She took great pleasure in telling me, that one looked like a POS, that one is ugly, that one has a girly colour etc etc. Until we came to the picture of the Pivot Switchblade "ooh I like that one" she proclaimed, "I like the curves, it looks interesting" etc.

She wasn't aware that it was the most expensive bike out of the lot of them and I ordered one shortly thereafter!

Anyway, I digress! Thank you for sharing your thoughts on the bikes, I look forward to reading more...

Last time I was officially sanctioned to buy a new full suspension bike, I gleefully showed my wife pictures of all the contenders. She took great pleasure in telling me, that one looked like a POS, that one is ugly, that one has a girly colour etc etc. Until we came to the picture of the Pivot Switchblade "ooh I like that one" she proclaimed, "I like the curves, it looks interesting" etc.

She wasn't aware that it was the most expensive bike out of the lot of them and I ordered one shortly thereafter!

Anyway, I digress! Thank you for sharing your thoughts on the bikes, I look forward to ready more...

Funny - my wife gave me the go-ahead to get a new bike this year and the mango orange color of the Hightower was a selling point for her. Whatever works

&quot;Darling, please get whatever bike you'd like&quot;

Originally Posted by SqueakyWheel73

I've been riding a Specialized Epic for 8 years. I've blown the brain shock on it three times, and know from personal experience that the bike is unimpressive when that shock isn't working. I also found out after the last round that I can no longer get the brain shock serviced. So I found a company that offers a conversion to a non-brain shock, and have hereby sworn off bikes with proprietary suspension components. The Epic was a great bike in many ways, but there was a relatively high cost of ownership that I would not take on again. While I have no experience with it, I would worry that the Scott Spark might be in the same category.

Based on the bikes that you like (Sniper Trail, Spark and Epic, didn't like the Stumpjumper and Primer), I'd probably switch out the Yeti SB130 for the SB100 - seems more in the same category of bikes. I'd really try to check out the Santa Cruz Tallboy. I have a Hightower and am really impressed with the pedaling efficiency of the VPP suspension. I think the Tallboy could be a lot of fun. That said and done, have you looked at the Ibis Ripley LS? I've seen/heard some really good things about it - if you have access to demo it, I'd add that to the list. Bikes tend to be a long term investment for me, so I am a big fan of companies with reputations for excellent customer service. Santa Cruz and Ibis have great reputations for standing behind their products.

Thanks - some helpful thoughts here.

Iím also sceptical on proprietary suspension. As a lefty owner, I know all about it (and have sworn off getting anything with a lefty on it ever again), so this definitely counts against the Epic too.

I think the Spark can be run as a regular 120mm bike if you pull the twinloc stuff off it, so it wouldnít be in quite the same problematic category (although of course then you miss out on one of the selling points of the bike).

Would love to demo a Ripley, but I think thatís pretty much impossible here (Sydney, Aust). Likewise any Santa Cruz or Yeti.

Thatís something that really baffles me: that brands selling high end bikes donít make demos more readily available. I realise itís expensive to run a demo fleet, but I reckon theyíd sell a lot more bikes that way. I was pretty close to pulling the trigger on the Sniper when it was the first bike i demoed, just because it rode so well on the trails where they ran the demo.

Iím also sceptical on proprietary suspension. As a lefty owner, I know all about it (and have sworn off getting anything with a lefty on it ever again), so this definitely counts against the Epic too.

I think the Spark can be run as a regular 120mm bike if you pull the twinloc stuff off it, so it wouldnít be in quite the same problematic category (although of course then you miss out on one of the selling points of the bike).

Would love to demo a Ripley, but I think thatís pretty much impossible here (Sydney, Aust). Likewise any Santa Cruz or Yeti.

Thatís something that really baffles me: that brands selling high end bikes donít make demos more readily available. I realise itís expensive to run a demo fleet, but I reckon theyíd sell a lot more bikes that way. I was pretty close to pulling the trigger on the Sniper when it was the first bike i demoed, just because it rode so well on the trails where they ran the demo.

You just reminded me that not only did I have an Epic with the priprietary Brain shock, but I did a custom build and put a Lefty on it. I finally ditched that a couple years ago and donít see any reason why I would use one again.

As far as demos, I have to admit that I got lazy. A friend had a Hightower and I rode it a couple times and really liked it. I found a shop a couple hours away that had Pivots and Yetis to demo. But the more I followed the Yeti forum with Yetiís handling of the issues around the new SB130/150 the more I didnít want to drop several thousand dollars on the SB130. And the Trail 429 never really appealed to me. Then the Hightower went on sale and I decided to go with the bike I had already ridden and liked. I just know I look forward to the next time I can get out on the trails to ride it - thatís good enough for me!

I learned a long time ago this is a cryptic message. What it really means is something like "proceed at your own risk...there may be unexpected consequences". But she didn't say 'NO' so my recommendation is to run with it and live with the consequences.

Regarding proprietary designs, it's tough to know up front what will become a problem down the road. Specialized seems to have this issue more than others...my buddy has an older 29" FSR SJ (2011?) and literally can't get a shock for it. They are a 'specialized' only design with the yolk and no longer available. He's searched all over, talked with dealers, Fox, suspension guru's, etc. Discovered this is a common issue and finally found a used on Ebay and got it serviced. Also has had problems trying to replace wheels/hubs...even though they are WTB rims, they are 'special' and made for the FSR 29er. Of course, they are no longer available and a similar replacement is not out there so he's faced with making his own to fit it.

Personally, I will never buy a Specialized because of these type of issues. They make great bikes but can become a pain to keep trail ready and it's not just the suspension. I've had good luck with Trek, Kona and SC bikes. Never had any issues getting replacement parts...I do all my own work and have always found what I need on-line at reasonable prices without dealer help.

spot on

Originally Posted by chazpat

OP, be sure you leave enough money for the new furniture and wardrobe your wife is going to be wanting.

I bought "The Bike " I have been wanting since they announced it.
Process 153 CR/DL 29er Custom about 3 weeks ago. no problem from the wife but, now, we are in the second week of remodeling the house. front to back, top to bottom with all new furniture and appliances .
at least she is designing a Bike room in all of this!

Would love to demo a Ripley, but I think thatís pretty much impossible here (Sydney, Aust). Likewise any Santa Cruz or Yeti.

Summit cycles, in Sydney, is an Ibis, Santa Cruz, and Yeti dealer. Have you checked with the employees about demoing one of their bikes, or asked if they could contact one of their customers, who might be willing to let you try their bike?
When I was looking for a bike, I asked many people on the trails if I could try their bike. Most people were ok with the idea... just trade bikes on the ride.
Good luck

I would add the Spot Mayhem to your list. It is a 130/130 bike but probably pedals more efficient than all of the others on your list.

Originally Posted by DrPaulus

if you could have any bike you like then you should check out the pole evolink 110 or 131.

Originally Posted by Sparticus

Darling, I think you should consider a Guerrilla Gravity Trail Pistol.

Don't thank me.
=sParty

All look interesting, but no demo = not on the list.

Originally Posted by kosmo

If you want a non-proprietary bike that rides like a smoother Epic, get a Top Fuel and slap a 120 fork onto it.

Hadn't thought of a Trek - somehow they've never been on my radar - but think a demo is possible, so will give this a go.

Originally Posted by griz

Summit cycles, in Sydney, is an Ibis, Santa Cruz, and Yeti dealer. Have you checked with the employees about demoing one of their bikes, or asked if they could contact one of their customers, who might be willing to let you try their bike?
When I was looking for a bike, I asked many people on the trails if I could try their bike. Most people were ok with the idea... just trade bikes on the ride.
Good luck

If you want a non-proprietary bike that rides like a smoother Epic, get a Top Fuel and slap a 120 fork onto it.

On a lighter note, be aware that "wife permissions" occasionally have secret expiration dates!

ding ding ding ! Trek TF with a 120 is simply awesome (as are 16' Fuel EX). Think you will love the TF because sounds like your taste is like mine. Agree 100% on the stumpy. Also agree on the Spark. Of the bikes you mentioned, I think you would be very happy with the spark... great bikes !

I think men get it wrong because theyíre backwards in their thinking. All you gotta do is hold up your end of the deal, for example: I build/make it, you clean it. My wife never takes issue with cleaning because I do the heavy lifting like remodeling and landscaping. Iíd way rather dig a hole than dust.

It also doesnít hurt that I keep her in a wide assortment of purple clothing (she loves purple), I also make sure she has a convertible (Jeep), and she goes on vacations while I work (St Lucia last week).

She never says a word when I get another new bike.

All this ^ and she never holds a grudge and gets over being irritated with me in hours.

Itís true love 

As to the OP, Iíd get the Sniper Trail SL. Iíll probably get a frameset after I pay off the Shuttle

Originally Posted by plummet

But does she actually mean it?
What are her expectations of spend?
Is this a secret test of your devotion compared to your mountain bike addiction?

I've never seen a Fezzari in Australia, so don't think that's an option for me unfortunately.

They are a Direct to consumer brand and under international orders they say email them. Might be worth a shot. Considering what I've seen other people post about prices there, these might be a bigger bargain. Exchange rate isn't horrible.

I'll never understand why guys have to get permission from their wives. Weird.

Umm... joint finances, raising kids and putting them through college, shared responsibilities, respecting your partner, etc... Everyoneís marriage is different, but new bikes are not an insignificant purchases.

Umm... joint finances, raising kids and putting them through college, shared responsibilities, respecting your partner, etc... Everyoneís marriage is different, but new bikes are not an insignificant purchases.

So before I bought my wife a Pivot Shuttle, I took her to the shop and asked her permission

That doghouse video is perfect, so many solid examples were given, it was educational really.

Originally Posted by SqueakyWheel73

Umm... joint finances, raising kids and putting them through college, shared responsibilities, respecting your partner, etc... Everyoneís marriage is different, but new bikes are not an insignificant purchases.

Lightweight,
Modern geometry
more travel than XC,
simple single pivot,
no proprietary bits,
hand built in England by small company,
you can order any color combination of powdercoating/ decals that you want,
2 week turnaround delivered to my door
Somewhat rare in the US
Good reviews online
I like the look

by Silentfoe
I'm satisfied knowing that what I wear during my "day" job makes me more of a man than you'll ever be.

Lightweight,
Modern geometry
more travel than XC,
simple single pivot,
no proprietary bits,
hand built in England by small company,
you can order any color combination of powdercoating/ decals that you want,
2 week turnaround delivered to my door
Somewhat rare in the US
Good reviews online
I like the look